Jenkintown High School
World Geography:
The Eastern Hemisphere

Mrs. Anne E. Van Meter, Teacher

Textbook: People, Places, and Change GO.HRW.COM

The focus of seventh grade social studies is geography. Students' map and globe skills are refined and learning units include the physical and cultural geography of regions in Europe, Northern Eurasia, North Africa and Southwest Asia.

Syllabus

1. The Study of Geography

a. Land, Climate and Vegetation
b. Population and Culture
c. Resources and Land Use

2. Russia and Northern Eurasia

a. Russia
b. Ukraine, Belarus, the Caucasus
c. Central Asia

3. Southwest Asia

a. The Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan
b. The Eastern Mediterranean

4. North Africa: Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Egypt

5. Europe

a. Southern Europe: Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece
b. West-Central Europe: France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein
c. Northern Europe: Ireland, United Kingdom, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland
d. Eastern Europe: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Moldova, Macedonia, Yugoslavia, Boznia and Herzegovina

6. East and Southeast Asia

a. China, Mongolia, and Taiwan
b. Japan and the Koreas
c. Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia

7. Pacific World and Antarctica

a. Australia and New Zealand
b. The Pacific Islands and Antarctica

Course of Study

Unit 1: Geography Foundations

A. The Study of Geography
1. Five themes of geography
2. The branches of geography
3. Maps and Globes

Home @ nationalgeographic.com

B. Land, Climate and Vegetation
1. Earth's Interior and Plate Tectonics
2. Convection Process
3. Climate regions
4. Biosphere, Hydrosphere, Lithosphere

C. Resources and Land Use
1. Renewable and non-renewable resources
2. Distribution of natural resources
3. Energy resources

D. Earth's People
1. Culture
2. Population
3. Economy
4. Government

Unit 2: Russian and Northern Eurasia: Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, the Caucasus, Central Asia

1. Physical regions
2. Climate
3. Population
4. Land use and resources

A. Russia
1. Physical Geography
2. History and Culture
3. The Russian Heartland
4. Siberia
5. The Russian Far East
6. Russia's environmental problems

B. Ukraine, Belarus, the Caucasus
1. Physical Geography
2. History, Government, and Culture

C. Central Asia
1. Physical Geography
2. History and Culture
3. Countries of Central Asia

Unit 3: Southwest Asia

1. Physical regions
2. Climate
3. Population
4. Land use and resources

A. The Arabian Peninsula
1. Physical Geography
2. Saudi Arabia and the Arabian Peninsula
3. Saudi Arabia and oil
4. Iraq: History, Government, Economy, and People
5. Iran and Afghanistan: Government, Economy, and People

B. The Eastern Mediterranean
1. Physical Geography
2. Turkey: History, Government, Economy, and Culture
3. Israel and the Occupied Territories: History and Conflict
4. Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan: History, Politics, Economy, and Government
5. Influence of religion

Unit 4: Northern Africa

1. Physical regions
2. Climate
3. Population
4. Land use and resources

A. North Africa
1. Physical Geography
2. History and Culture
3. Egypt
4. Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco
3. North Africa: women's' rights
4. Influence of religion
5. Ethnic conflict

Unit 5: Europe

1. Landforms
2. Climatic patterns
3. Vegetation
4. Population densities
5. Relationship between natural resources and industrialization
6. Regional economic and political cooperation

A. Southern Europe: Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece

1. Iberian Peninsula: physical characteristics
2. Spain and Portugal: history, economy
3. Italy: regional differences
4. Italy: influences of Roman and Italian culture
4. Greece: geography and economy
5. Greece: influences of Greek culture

B. West-Central Europe: France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein

1. France: regional economic and physical differences
2. French unity: history, language, culture
3. France: economy
4. Germany: unification
5. Germany physical regions and economic resources
6. Netherlands: land reclamation
7. Belgium: ethnic conflicts
8. Luxenbourg: standard of living
9. Switzerland: diversity
10. Austria: a contrast to Switzerland

C. Northern Europe: Ireland, United Kingdom, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland

1. Political make up of the United Kingdom
2. England: location and development
3. England: Industrial Revolution
4. Scotland and Wales: physical features and cultural distinctions
5. Scotland and Wales: industrial changes
6. Ireland: agriculture and industry
7. Ireland: religious conflict
8. Ireland : political conflict
9. Nordic Nations: political regions
10. Nordic Nations: cultural characteristics
11. Nordic Nations: economic characteristics

D. Eastern Europe: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Moldova, Macedonia, Yugoslavia, Boznia and Herzegovina

1. Eastern Europe: topography
2. Eastern Europe: climate, vegetation patterns, pollution
3. Eastern Europe: cultural diversity
4. Eastern Europe: economy and political composition
5. Poland: relationship between religion and labor movement
6. Poland :economic issues
7. Czech Republic: economic issues, resources
8. Slovak Republic: economic issues, resources
9. Hungary: economics issues, resources
10. Common elements of Balkan history
11. Ethnic divisions in the Balkan peninsula
12. Political revolutions in the Balkan peninsula

Unit 6: East and Southeast Asia

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